AGCA Links

The links below are intended to provide you with easy access to information about early Gnosticism and other forms of "alternative" movements within early Christianity; sites about contemporary Gnosticism and other Gnostic churches and organizations; and other webpages relating to spirituality or religion that may be interesting to contemporary Gnostics. You can scroll down the page or use the anchor links to move directly to a particular section. All links to outside webpages will open in a new window. The commentary material on these pages was written primarily by Br. Matthew with the assistance of several other AGCA members.

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Nag Hammadi texts: English translations online. The most important contemporary event for Gnosticism was the rediscovery of the Nag Hammadi texts, buried in the Egyptian desert. Uncovered in the 1940s and only gradually revealed to the world, the Nag Hammadi materials were most likely buried in the late fourth century in response to increasing persecution of "heretical" alternative religions by the mainstream Christian establishment. The Nag Hammadi materials, written in Coptic, include not only clearly Gnostic texts, but also proto- or pre-Gnostic texts like the Gospel of Thomas, a collection of Jesus' sayings whose origins may predate the Christian "canonical" gospels; even fragments of Plato were found among the Nag Hammadi discoveries. The linked website contains translations of all the Nag Hammadi texts, and a useful search tool for seeking out particular English words in the texts. These particular translations can also be purchased via Amazon.com in the Nag Hammadi Library. More modern and sensitive translations, however, are provided by the relatively recent Gnostic Bible, which also contains a plethora of other primary texts relevant to Gnostic spirituality, and is well worth the small additional cost.

Pictures of Gospel of Thomas text and interlinear translation. People often are curious about what classical Coptic writing looked like. You can see a picture of the beginning of the Gospel of Thomas, but we especially encourage you to view this image of the last part of the Gospel, where you should be able to make out the Coptic version of the word "evangelion" or "gospel" in the second to last line. These pictures are hosted on a site that also contains an interlinear version of the Gospel, allowing you to get into the mechanics of translating this important pre-Gnostic text. If you are a fan of the Gospel of Thomas, we also encourage you to purchase Dr. Elaine Pagels excellent recent comparison of the Gospel of Thomas and the Gospel of John, Beyond Belief, available through our Amazon Associates program which provides a small referral fee we use for our charitable work and the ministry of our Church family. There have been many translations of the Gospel published, although we most highly recommend the recent Gnostic Bible, edited by Willis Barnstone. If you would like to compare the Gospel of Thomas with the reconstruction of another early "Jesus-sayings" gospel, consider purchasing The Q-Thomas Reader.

The Gospel of Mary: English translation online . One of the few classical Gnostic texts available prior to the Nag Hammadi discoveries, the Gospel of Mary was found (also in Egypt and also written in Coptic) around the turn of the twentieth century. In this wonderful text, we read of Mary Magdalene , the great apostola apostolorum and first and most faithful witness of Christ's ascent to new life in the spirit, teaching the other apostles about his message. In the text, she is rebuked by Peter, who represents the masculine power structure of the establishment, but is defended by Levi or Matthew who boldly declared, "But if the savior made her worthy, who are you indeed to reject her? Surely the Savior knows her very well. This is why he loved her even more than us." Another wondeful translation of the GoM can be purchased as part of the excellent recent anthology The Gnostic Bible, which you can purchase at Amazon through our Associates program.

Hermetic Gnostic Writings: English translations online. Hermeticism was a particular tradition within early Gnosticism in which Christian elements were deemphasized and contributions from Hellenistic philosophy became a central focus. Many of these texts are available in excellent translations in The Gnostic Bible, which you can purchase at Amazon through our Associates program.

St. Carpocrates of Alexandria (especially active c. 130-150 CE) was one of the great second-century Gnostic theologians. He is considered a saint within our tradition, along with the other two members of what we somewhat lightheartedy like to call "the divine triumvirate," Basilides and Valentinus, all of whom established the major schools and traditions of neo-classical Gnosticism in the second century; within the Gnostic Litany we pray during our Divine Service, he is acknowledged as Carpocrates the Enlightened. Carpocrates was responsible for the great statement of Gnostic theology on the genuine humanity of Jesus Christ:

Unfortunately, few of St. Carpocrates writings remain after extensive persecution by mainstream Christianity. However, you can read more about what anti-Gnostic Christians wrote about Carpocrates, or a longer except written about blessed Carpocrates by the violently crazed anti-Gnostic misanthrope and "heretic-hunter" Irenaeus of Lyon, which should naturally be taken with several tons of salt. St. Carpocrates' son, Epiphanes, is believed to have been the author of the text "On Justice," which set out the act-libertarian component of Gnostic moral theology (namely that morality does not inhere specifically to particular material acts, e.g. such as "good" or "evil" sexual orientations in contemporary pharisaical Christianity, but rather is a matter of dynamic spiritual progression). If you would like to read more about this, please see our essays and statements on Gnostic Morality.

St. Basilides of Alexandria (especially active c. 125-140s CE), was another of the three great Gnostic teachers of the second century CE. He, like Carpocrates and Valentinus, is considered a saint within our Church tradition, and is recognized in the Gnostic Litany of the Divine Service as Basilides the Venerable. Although St. Basilides spent most of his career in Alexandria, like St. Carpocrates, it is not believed that they ever met, which provides some indication of Alexandria's role as a gigantic mecca for progressive philosophers and theologians at this period in Gnostic history. Again, the monstrous anti-Gnostic zealot Irenaeus of Lyons provides most of the remaining fragments of quotes from Basilides, to the extent that his word can be trusted. Basilides apparently claimed to have received teachings handed down from the Apostles Peter and Matthew (interestingly, Matthew or Levi was also an important figure in the Gnostic Gospel of Mary). Basilides is also supposed to have collected his own personal canon of Gospel writings, much as Marcion did. Basilides' major contributions to classical and neo-classical Gnostic thought are twofold:

St. Valentinus (also Valentinos) of Alexandria (especially active c. 130s-160s CE). Valentinus was probably the most prominent of the three great Gnostic teachers of the second century. Valentinus' most important contribution was his ability to express in a powerful yet simple way the basic Gnostic cosmology, but he also contributed immeasurably to contemporary Gnosticism through the evocation of a Gnostic theory of sacramentalism. A number of the Nag Hammadi texts are attributed to the Valentinian School or as probably having Valentinian influences, including the Gospel of Philip, the Gospel of Truth, and the Treatise on the Resurrection. David Brons has written a number of articles on Valentinus and Valentinianism, some of which can be accessed here, and you might also want to read Bishop Stephan Hoeller's succinct but excellent article Valentinus: A Gnostic for All Seasons.

There were many other alternative movements that emerged during the early Christian era that were later, like Gnosticism, condemned as "heresies" by the mainstream religious establishment. These links will introduce you to some of the major figures and movements that taught alternative versions of Christ's message in the centuries following his death.

St. Marcion of Sinope was a brilliant Christian theologian who eventually argued that Christians should stop attempting to coopt Jewish identity and instead focus on the development of their own religious beliefs. He was not himself a Gnostic, but his ideas about the demiurge and his skepticism of the absolute authority claimed by many for the so-called bible would become highly influential on later Gnostics. You can read more about Marcion at the Center for Marcionite Research and there are some reconstructions of some of Marcion's writings at this site.

Montanus was a prophetic leader who partnered with two female prophets, Priscilla and Maximilla, to bring a message of intimate connection between God and human beings through the outpouring of spirit into prophets who would in turn reach out to share that connection with others. The renowned Christian theologian Tertullian (famous for his remark that he believed the Christian message "because it is absurd") eventually abandoned mainstream Christianity later in his life to pursue the Montanist version. There are links to some information about Montanus and Montanism at this site.

St. Mani was the founder of a religion that broke away from mainstream Christianity and became known as Manicheaism. It was a very influential movement for many centuries, and attracted people including a young Augustine, before his reconversion to the mainstream faith of the religious leaders. Mani's influences including Zoroastrian theology as well as the Christian message. You can read a number of beautiful Manichean writings at the Gnostic Society.

Arius, who lived c. 250-336 CE, created a radically different version of the Christian message that stressed the true humanity of Jesus Christ against the docetizing tendencies of mainstream Christianity. Arianism became so powerful that it seriously threatened the power of the mainstream religious authorities, which they managed to maintain mostly by their fourth-century deal with the Roman Empire, in which the mainstream church essentially pledged subservience in exchange for civil/military force to crush its enemies (heretics). You can read more about Arius here.

The following sites are to groups and organizations that can be grouped together as classical Gnostics -- while they are quite diverse, they share with the AGCA a desire to reinvigorate the religious traditions of the Gnosticism of the early centuries after Christ. Sometimes these groups are referred to as "Nag Hammadi Gnostics" because they look to the Nag Hammadi texts as sources for understanding about early Gnosticism. If you would like to suggest additions to this list, please contact us by email.

The Gnostic Webring is a convenient source of links to various Gnostic websites. It is currently being administered by the AGCA on behalf of the diverse member sites.

There are many religious groups active today that describe themselves as Gnostic, but generally are either not part of the classical/Nag Hammadi tradition, or have incorporated significant elements from outside Gnosticism into their systems. While we are not as closely related to these groups as we are to our fellow classical Gnostics, we welcome them as partners in the pursuit of gnosis and human spiritual liberation. Sometimes multiple groups claim to be the legitimate inheritors of a tradition or a name, so we have tried to include as many as possible in these cases, without implying any endorsement of a particular claim.

Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica (this is a branch of the OTO -- not to be confused with Bishop Hoeller's Ecclesia Gnostica, which is a classical Gnostic church!)

These are websites that are not Gnostic, but represent religious and spiritual traditions or perspectives that pursue many kindred goals and spiritual themes to those that Gnosticism does. These websites are in alphabetical order and range from Pagan to Christian groups, and often touch on questions of mysticism, direct experience of the divine, and, for the Christian sites, "liberal" or inclusive interpretations of Christ's messages. If you would like to suggest another website for this section, please contact us by e-mail. We have also included a few non-religious sites that are involved in supporting compassionate social and political causes, or defending minority religions from oppression by more powerful religions.

Healing Millions (Our friend Jon writes: "Our goal is to build therapy centres around the world, where effective healing techniques are taught and utilised. So that children may be raised in societies where emotional expression is a sign of healing not weakness. Where our hearts are healed so that we can reach out to those in distress, with love not war. Where every person is valued as a creative force in this universe.")

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)

Shamanic Shift Center Part of the Gnostic Webring, our friends at the Shamanic Shift Center are not Gnostics per se, but they are interested in the pursuit of gnosis or spiritual knowledge.

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